Method for applying images to wax articles

ABSTRACT

A method for applying an image to a target wax article is provided. The method comprises the steps: a) forming a reverse of the image on waxcoated transfer paper; b) transferring and reversing the reverse image to produce the image on the surface of a carrier wax article; and c) mounting the carrier wax article bearing the image to the target wax article. Wax articles, in particular candies, produced by the method are also provided.

[0001] This invention relates to a method for applying an image to a waxarticle. The invention also relates to wax articles, in particularcandles, produced by the method. It has long been known to apply imagesto candles. In particular candles sold for special occasions (eitherpublic festivals such as religious festivals, or private celebrationssuch as weddings) may bear images commemorating that occasion.

[0002] One method of applying such an image to a candle is to form theimage on paper or similar material, and mount the material bearing theimage to the candle. However, as paper is more combustible than wax, thepaper catches fire when the candle burns, and the image on the paper isburnt away or rendered unrecognisable long before the candle is burntout. Moreover, as paper does not adhere well of its own accord to wax,it would be necessary to use adhesive, staples or other such material tomount the paper etc. to the candle: this adds an extra step which may bedifficult to automate, and an adhesive may interfere with the burning ofthe candle.

[0003] GB 1466550 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,959 suggest a solution to thisproblem, by providing a method of transferring images to wax candles,comprising imprinting the image onto a waxed transfer sheet byconventional gravure or lithographic techniques, and then wrapping theimprinted sheet around the candle body while applying heat and pressurethereto.

[0004] JP-A-8-197899 discloses two processes for printing candles. Onemethod involves forming a printed image on the release surface of arelease sheet expressed with thermal copying toner without thermalfixing (for example, by using a thermal copying machine wherein theheating and pressurising roller has been removed, or by removal of theprinted image from the copying machine before it reaches the heating andpressurising roller). The printed image is then adhered to the surfaceof the candle by the application of pressure. The sheet is then releasedand the printed image then heated to fuse the toner and soften thesurface of the candle. This is stated to allow the toner to fuse on thesurface of the candle in a uniform manner.

[0005] Another method disclosed by JP-A-8-197899 involves forming aprinted image on the release surface of a release sheet expressed withthermal copying toner, heating the surface of the sheet bearing printedimage without the application of pressure in order to fuse the toner,adhering the printed image to the surface of the candle, removing therelease sheet, and coating the printed image on the surface of thecandle with paraffin.

[0006] JP-A-2-33397 discloses a transfer paper consisting of a releasepaper, a printed image-bearing layer and an adhesive layer comprising anadhesive agent which includes rice wax or candela wax having a meltingpoint between 60° C. and 100° C. The document further discloses a methodfor decorating candles, in which the transfer paper is cut to apredetermined size and is then inserted into a mould so that the printedimage-bearing layer faces inwards. Molten paraffin wax is then cast intothe mould, which is then allowed to cool so that the paraffin waxsolidifies and the image is transferred to the candle. The release paperis then removed to produce the finished candle.

[0007] DE-A1-19649545, DE-U-29623315 and EP-B-941161, all to Bubeck,describe an alternative process for forming colour printed images on waxarticles and the like, comprising the steps:

[0008] a) forming a reverse copy of the desired image on wax-coatedtransfer paper by means of a colour photocopier;

[0009] b) fixing the copy to the article; and

[0010] c) pressing the copy on to the article by means of suitablyshaped tools.

[0011] However, a number of problems exist with the method described inthe Bubeck documents. A specially shaped tool, corresponding exactly tothe shape and size of the required wax article, is required to transferthe image to the surface of the wax article (eg a cylindrical tool for acandle). If the mould is not exact, the image transfer will not beperformed cleanly. Temperatures of 60 to 200° C. and pressures of up to30 bar are required to effect the transfer, and expensive, complexequipment is therefore required. It is also necessary to fix thetransfer sheet to an exact location on the wax article before applyingpressure: this requires an additional step of forming locating ormarking holes or the like in the article. Furthermore, it is necessaryto cut the transfer sheet bearing the image to shape before fixing it tothe wax article. In addition, in the process described in the abovedocuments, good adhesion of the wax-coated transfer paper to the waxarticle requires the surfaces of both to be smooth: adhesion isunsatisfactory when either the wax article or the transfer paper has arough surface. Moreover, as the Bubeck process requires the use of awhite wax sheet, production of colour images on candles is rendereddifficult.

[0012] In addition, the quality of the image produced by this method isunsatisfactory the image may peel off the wax surface, particularly atlow temperatures. A protective coating of wax or lacquer is required toprotect the material. Finally, due tot he complexity and cost of settingup the equipment to carry out this method, it is suitable only forproduction of large numbers of candles etc., production of smallernumbers of candles (eg for private celebrations) being uneconomic.

[0013] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method forapplying an image to a wax surface which avoids the problems of theprior art.

[0014] These and other objectives are achieved by the present inventionas defined in the appended claims.

[0015] The invention therefore provides in a first aspect a method forapplying an image to a target wax article, comprising the steps:

[0016] a) forming a reverse of the image on wax-coated transfer paper;

[0017] b) transferring and reversing the reverse image to produce theimage on the surface of a carrier wax article; and

[0018] c) mounting the carrier wax article bearing the image to thetarget wax article.

[0019] The invention provides in a second aspect a wax article, inparticular a candle, produced by the above method.

[0020] Each of these steps will now be described in more detail.

[0021] In step a), a reverse of the image is formed on wax-coatedtransfer paper. The reverse image may be formed using conventionalphotocopying or laser printing techniques which are well known to thoseskilled in the art.

[0022] The transfer paper must be coated with wax, as this makespossible the transfer of the reverse image to the surface of the carrierwax article in step b) described below. Examples of suitable waxesinclude natural waxes including vegetable waxes such as carnauba wax,cuassu wax, candelila wax, ouricuni wax, raffia wax, palm wax, rice wax,candela wax, esparto wax, sugar cane wax and cotton wax; animal waxessuch as beeswax and lanolin; mineral waxes such as paraffin waxes,microcrystalline waxes and petroleum wax; and synthetic waxes such asfatty acid esters of di- or trihydric alcohols, including but notlimited to glyceryl distearate, glyceryl monostearate and ethyleneglycol monostearate. Typically, the wax on the surface of the transferpaper has a thickness of between 0.0001 and 0.01 mm, preferably 0.0005to 0.005 mm.

[0023] In step b), the reverse image is transferred from the wax-coatedtransfer paper to the surface of a carrier wax article. During thisstep, the reverse image is reversed again to recreate the image theright way round on the surface of the carrier wax article.

[0024] The carrier article is made of wax, and any suitable wax known inthe art may be used. Examples of suitable waxes those include thosereferred to above in relation to the wax coating for the transfer paper:it should however be noted that the carrier article need not be madefrom the same type of wax as the coating on the transfer paper, nor thesame type of wax as the target article. Waxes having a low melting point(ie between room temperature and 80° C., and particularly between 40° C.and 60° C.) are preferred.

[0025] In order to be capable of bearing the image, it is important thatthe carrier wax article possesses a flat surface. It is preferred thatthe carrier article is a wax sheet, in particular a wax sheet ofthickness of between 0.2 mm and 5 mm, especially 0.5 to 2 mm.

[0026] Step b) is preferably carried out by thermal transfer means, thenature of which is well known to those skilled in the art. It ispreferred that the thermal transfer is carried out slowly in order tominimise the risk of overheating and damage to the image and thearticles. Preferably, the thermal transfer is carried out at atemperature of 40 to 130° C. More preferably the process is carried outat a temperature of 90 to 110° C. Typically, the thermal transferprocess takes 10 seconds to 2 minutes, preferably 20 to 40 seconds. Inan alternative embodiment, the thermal transfer process is carried outat a temperature of 45 to 60° C. and takes 10 minutes to 2 hours,preferably 20 minutes to 1 hour.

[0027] It is especially preferred that, in step b), shielding means ispresent between the heating element and the surfaces between which theimage is being transferred. This further minimises the risk ofoverheating and damage to the image and the articles. Any insulator maybe used as the shielding means; insulators typically used in ironing,especially a sheet of cotton cloth, are preferred.

[0028] Finally, in step c), the carrier wax article, bearing the image,is mounted to the target wax article. This is carried out by theapplication of heat and pressure to the carrier wax article, bearing theimage, to bond it to the target wax article. Any means known in the artto be suitable for doing so may be used. The process is preferablycarried out at only slightly elevated temperature, ie just above roomtemperature (more preferably between 30° C. to 45° C.) and at lowpressures, ie those comparable to the pressure exerted by the human handwhen applying or adhering two surfaces together. In a particularlypreferred embodiment, the carrier article is mounted to the target waxarticle by hand.

[0029] The method conveys a number of advantages over the prior art.Firstly, images of a superior graphic quality can be produced on thetarget wax article. Furthermore, the process is simple and efficient.

[0030] In particular, the provision of step b), not present in the priorart, overcomes a number of disadvantages. It becomes unnecessary to fixthe transfer sheet to the wax article (by forming locating holes orusing adhesives or the like): the transfer sheet can be simply laid ontothe carrier wax article before transfer to the target wax article. Noris it necessary to cut the transfer sheet to shape before pressing itonto the carrier wax article, as would be required in the Bubeckprocesses. Furthermore, the specially shaped tools required by theBubeck processes are also rendered unnecessary: a flat blade willsuffice.

[0031] There is also no need to carry the process out using the hightemperatures and pressures and specialist, complicated equipmentrequired by the prior art methods. In additions the process of thepresent invention does not require ultra-smooth surfaces to secureadhesion of the carrier wax article to the target wax article: it is, infact, advantageous if the surface of either or both articles isroughened prior to the mounting step.

[0032] Moreover, when the process of the present invention is applied tocylindrical wax articles such as candles, an image can be mounted aroundthe entire circumference of the article. This is not possible in theprior art processes described above.

[0033] The process of the present invention enables the production, inan economic manner, of high-quality decorated candles etc. in smallnumbers, making the process suitable for producing candles for specialoccasions. Candles etc. bearing full colour images may be produced bythe process of the present invention.

[0034] In addition, the image formed on the wax articles of the presentinvention is resistant to peeling at low temperatures, and no coating isrequired to protect the image. Finally, as the image is formed on a waxsurface, the wax bums at the same rate as the remainder of the waxarticle, thus preserving the image for a lifetime comparable to that ofthe candle.

[0035] In preferred embodiments, the image can be cut out of the carrierwax article before mounting on the target wax article. Provided that thecarrier wax article is of suitable thickness, this can give the image onthe wax article a three-dimensional appearance.

[0036] The invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe following, nonlimiting examples.

EXAMPLE 1

[0037] Using a Nashuatec™ CS560 colour photocopier, a reverse image onB+L A4 paper (Art.No 5.006) (available from B+L Drucktechnologie GmbH,Emmendingen, Germany) coated with wax is made of a photograph printed onB+L A4 paper (Art.No 5.006). The wax-coated paper, bearing the reverseimage, is laid face down on a 1 mm thick sheet of Zengerle™ wax. A Hotones™ heat transfer press (40×40 cm; Serial No 902937), operating at100° C. is then applied for 30 seconds to transfer the image from thewax-coated paper to the wax sheet. A cloth of cotton is present betweenthe heat source and the two surfaces to shield the surfaces and preventoverheating. The wax sheet is then allowed to cool before taking awaythe wax coated paper and applying the wax sheet to a candle by gentlypressing it on to the candle-by hand.

EXAMPLE 2

[0038] Example 1 was repeated, except that the image was transferredfrom the wax-coated paper to the wax sheet in an oven operating at 52°C. under the pressure of a 350 g weight for 50 min.

1. A method for applying an image to a target wax article, comprisingthe steps: a) forming a reverse of the image on wax-coated transferpaper; b) transferring and reversing the reverse image to produce theimage on the surface of a carrier wax article; and c) mounting thecarrier wax article bearing the image to the target wax article.
 2. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein step a) is carried out using aphotocopier or a laser printer.
 3. A method according to claim 1 orclaim 2, wherein step b) is carried out by thermal transfer means.
 4. Amethod according to claim 3, wherein the thermal transfer is carried outat a temperature of 40 to 130° C.
 5. A method according to any precedingclaim, wherein, in step b), shielding means is present between theheating element and the surfaces between which the image is beingtransferred.
 6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein theimage is cut out of the carrier wax article before mounting on thetarget wax article.
 7. A wax article when produced by the methodaccording to any preceding claim.